100,000 subscribers. Thank you! That is insane. You might know the legendary Wembley soccer stadium in England. It's one of the biggest in the world. That fits 90,000 people — which means if everyone on this newsletter showed up in the same place at the same time, we'd break one of history's biggest gathering places. Unbelievable! When I started writing, I learned early on how important it is to have a list of direct contacts of the people you hope to serve, but back then, the number 100,000 felt inconceivably far away. I remember struggling to get to my first 1,000 subscribers, let alone my first 10,000. By the time I started this particular newsletter as its own effort, I had more experience, but I still never really thought about that number. Only once it came close did it slowly start sinking in. I've sent newsletters since long before it was cool, but in the last few years, the industry has become somewhat commoditized and professionalized. Now, it almost feels as if you're not cool if you don't have a newsletter — and if "news" is all you send, aka updates about your life, work, and projects, that's not good enough either. It better be a perfectly polished product, or else! On the one hand, it's awesome that new tools and platforms allow more people to share their ideas, research, art, and stories with fewer costs and less infrastructure. On the other hand, the democratization of newsletters can make sending emails feel yet another social hoop to jump through, a game that must be played according to certain rules, and if you don't follow those rules, the other kids will no longer invite you to play. To me, reaching this milestone where 100,000 people felt okay sharing their email address — a very personal piece of information — with me after having arrived as a stranger, completely organically via Google, not via paid ads or other money-based incentives of any kind, means a lot. It feels special in a world where the story of the week is always about hype, growth, and making the loudest noise. Look at that graph again. It's a slowly ascending but steadily climbing line. Nothing more, nothing less. Even in a world full of hares, the turtle can still win the race. That's reassuring. If you run a newsletter, a small business, or are trying to attract an audience with your art, I hope you, too, will find some comfort in this reassurance. It might not seem like it when you open LinkedIn or the news, but slow and steady can still get to the top — and, in any case, reach its destination. And if you're just here for new, free book summaries, know that your "just" makes all the difference in the world to me. Thank you — for being a reader, in general and of this newsletter, and for trusting me with some of that oh-so-precious space in your inbox. I know Four Minute Books isn't perfect, and neither is this newsletter. I'm sure it will keep changing. That's why there's an ongoing survey at the bottom of each edition, and if you ever have any thoughts, ideas, or criticisms you'd like to share, you can always take that short survey or simply hit reply and let me know. But if you're enjoying the newsletter in its current evolution, if you like all the summaries and videos and freebies and deals I send out, perhaps you can think of one person who might also find it interesting. If so, would you mind forwarding them this email and telling them they can use the button below to sign up? That would mean a lot to me.
Ultimately, all of this is to say one thing: Thank you. Thank you for being 1 of over 100,000 readers of the Four Minute Books newsletter and our summaries. This whole operation would mean nothing without you, and I'm honored to try and share the best words I can possibly type every single time I hit "Send." Here's to the next 416 weeks, whatever they may bring! Thank you, and Merry Christmas! Happy reading, |
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